MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE HELD AT
COUNTY HALL, NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT ON TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2002 COMMENCING AT
2.00 PM
Present :
Mrs T M Butchers,
Mr B Claxton, Mr M J Cunningham, Prof. D Farnham, Mrs J Harding, Mr D Russell, Mrs J Scott
Also present: Mr R
Mew, Mr A Mundy
12.
ELECTION
OF CHAIRMAN
RESOLVED :
THAT Mr B Claxton be elected
Chairman of the Committee.
13.
MINUTES
RESOLVED :
THAT the Minutes of the meeting held
on 19 November 2002 be confirmed and
signed by the Chairman.
14.
STANDARDS
BOARD FOE ENGLAND AND WALES – NATIONAL ISSUES AND LOCAL PROCEDURES
The Monitoring Officer presented his report updating the Committee
on the establishment and operation of the Standards Board for England and Wales
to date and in particular explaining that the Standards Board could refer
matters direct to the Standards Committee but at present the Government had not
issued any regulations as to how the Committee should deal with any such
referrals. To overcome this the
Monitoring Officer suggested the adoption by the Committee of a set of
procedures that had been prepared by a nationally recognized expert in this
field.
The Committee noted the operation of the Standards Board to date
although it was felt that there needed to be a longer time for a true picture
of the significance of the complaint statistics to emerge.
RESOLVED :
(a)
THAT
the local procedures for dealing with complaints referred to the Standards
Committee (as attached to the report of the Monitoring Officer) be approved as
an interim arrangement until such time as the regulations under Section 66 are
issued with the provision that the Monitoring Officer prepare a simplified
flowchart explaining the steps in the procedure.
(b)
THAT
the information and analysis relating to allegations received by the Standards
Board for England and Wales be noted.
(c)
THAT
a report be submitted by the Monitoring Officer at a future meeting once the
regulations under section 66 have been issued.
15.
AN
ETHICAL AUDIT FOR THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL
The Monitoring Officer presented his report suggested that an
Ethical Audit be undertaken on the Isle of Wight Council and suggesting a
methodology as to how this could be achieved.
The Committee considered that some form of Ethical Audit could be
achieved however given the number of other external inspections that the
Council had received over the past few years reservations were expressed with
the proposed methodology as it was felt that a significant amount of the
proposed work had already been covered in the various inspections. Concern was
also expressed at the possible level of resources required for the proposed
methodology.
The value of undertaking an Ethical Audit was supported and it was
felt that a similar approach could be taken to the Parish and Town Councils –
although there would be particular resource implications for these smaller
Councils.
It was suggested that a task group be established to devise a
suggested methodology for a more simplified form of Ethical Audit that could be
undertaken with existing resources.
RESOLVED :
THAT a task group comprising the following be established to
consider a revised methodology for an ethical audit and that the Monitoring
Officer report back to the February meeting of the Standards Committee on the
suggestions from the task group:
Mr B Claxton, Mr M Cunningham, Prof. D Farnham, Mrs J Harding,
Mr J Lawson, Mr C Mathews and Mr D Russell
The Committee received the recommendations of the Sub Committee on
Member Attendance and circulated at the meeting were the detail of the proposed
list of categories for absence and a draft member attendance record sheet. The
Committee welcomed the recommendations of the Sub Committee and made some
detailed amendments to the proposed member record sheet including the addition
of a section to specify the number of training sessions attended by the member
during the period in question.
RESOLVED :
THAT the following be approved for recommendation to the Council
once the “job Profiles” for members have been agreed:
(i)
the publication of the attendance
records of Members (including the number of training sessions attended).
(ii)
the figures be published twice a year
in June and December with 30 day prior cut off and that it be as wide as
practicable.
(iii)
prior to publication Members be given
an opportunity to give their consent to the publication and to add no more than
100 words to explain what other activities they have undertaken during the
period in question – any such explanation must not include any political
content.
(iv)
for each apology given Members be
invited to give a “classification” for the apology (ie away on other Council
Business, sickness, holidays)
(v)
that this process starts early in 2003
once all the details have been agreed.
17.
PROPOSED WORK PROGRAMME CALENDAR
YEAR 2003
The Committee received a proposed work programme for the Calendar
year 2003. Given the decisions earlier in the meeting it was decided that at
the February meeting the Committee will consider recommendations on job
profiles for members and the proposals for an ethical audit. A standing item of
reviewing the work programme was also added.
RESOLVED :
THAT the dates of future meetings and the work programme of the
Committee be as follows:
Meeting
|
Agenda Item
|
|
Tuesday 11
February 2003 at 9:30 am
|
·
Ethical Audit – consider revised
methodology
·
Indemnity issues
·
Councillors “Job Profiles”
·
Annual Standards Report
·
Constitutional Review
|
|
Tuesday 17
June 2003 at 9.30 am
|
·
Co-option of new Member
·
Role of Monitoring Officer in
handling a complaint
·
Roles of Members and training needs
(possibly subject to delay pending ethical audit report)
·
Methodology for review of ethics and
probity in Parish/Town Council context
|
|
Tuesday 21
October 2003 at 9.30 am
|
·
Co-option of new Members
·
Report on review of ethics and
probity in Parish/Town Council context.
·
Work programme for calendar year
2004.
|
|
Standing items
|
·
Report on Standards Board activity
including guidance; statistics; analysis; case reports.
·
The Committee’s Work Programme
|
|
Other meetings
as necessary
|
·
Allegations referred by the
Standards Board for England and Wales for local determination.
·
Requests for dispensations.
·
Urgent ethical and probity issues as
they arise.
|
CHAIRMAN
